MEANING
To intimidate or subdue someone through power, authority, or imposing presence.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- overawe an audience
- overawe a witness
On the page
The official’s presence overawed the youngest witness.
The height of the chamber overawed him before the door closed.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- overawe
- Past tense
- overawed
- Past participle
- overawed
- Present participle
- overawing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- overawe
- Present continuous
- am/is/are overawing
- Present perfect
- have/has overawed
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been overawing
- Past
- overawed
- Past continuous
- was/were overawing
- Past perfect
- had overawed
- Past perfect continuous
- had been overawing
- Future
- will overawe
- Future continuous
- will be overawing
- Future perfect
- will have overawed
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been overawing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Forms: overawe; overawes; overawed; overawed; overawing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: overawes.
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